Wednesday 7 January 2015

How to celebrate the New Year in Japan


In England for New Years Day you either stay in bed with a massive hangover, rush to the shops for the sales, or go out for a family meal because, you know, you haven't eaten enough over the past few weeks. However in Japan New Year is a three day event from January 1st to the 3rd and there are are lots of rituals and traditions. 

1. Watch bell ringing at a temple
At 12 o'clock when the new year starts, bells at temples are rung 108 times which symbolize the 108 human sins in Buddhist belief. It is believed that the ringing of the bells rids everyone of their sins from the previous year.

2. View the sunrise
January 1st is thought of as a very auspicious day in Japan and many people will get up early in order to view the first sunrise of the year.

3. Go to a shrine
During the three day period it is a tradition to go to a shrine and pray for a good year. The most popular shrines, such as Heian Jingu in the photo below, attract very large crowds.


4. Give otoshidama
While children in Japan may only get a few christmas presents, they can look forward to getting otoshidama from close family relatives. Otoshidama is money given to children on New Years Day in decorated envelopes.

5. Eat oshechi ryori
Osechi ryori is a meal prepared before the new year starts. Lots of it is made so that you don't have to do any cooking for the first three days of the year. In theory it sounds good, in practice? Well by the third day you do get a bit fed up of eating the same food.


6. Send New Years cards
New Years cards (nengajo) are sent to all friends, family and co-workers and usually feature the Chinese zodiac animal of the year, this year it's the sheep. Even if you send them early the post office will keep them and then deliver them all together on New Years Day.

7. Decorate your entrance
Everyone decorates the entrance to their home or business with ornaments made from straw and bamboo. They're like a New Years wreath.


Linking up with Treat Yo'Self Thursday

How did you celebrate the new year?

12 comments:

  1. it's been a couple of years since I celebrated NY in Japan, and I do miss it. All these traditions are so unique and remind me of my roots. x

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    1. Same I love all the traditions they have for New Year and how it's so different to England! x

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  2. That's interesting that they prepare meals for three days in advance. Do you have any idea why that's a tradition? I love that getting up for the first sunrise is a tradition - one that I could definitely consider starting.

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    1. I think its because shops used to be closed for the first three days so it was a way of ensuring they had enough food, not 100% sure on that though!

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  3. This is interesting! I like the idea of people getting up to view the first sunrise and the sending of New Years cards.

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    1. Yes getting up to view the first sunrise is a great tradition! x

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  4. I'd love to be able to do this all one year! x

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    1. I did most of them last year but I didn't go to a temple to watch the bell ringing or view the first sunrise. x

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  5. I imagine that the food would get dull After three days, but it does look yummy there!

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    1. It is very yummy on the first day, on the second day it's nice and by third day you're like, 'give me some sushi!' x

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  6. What an interesting post! I love seeing how the same holiday is celebrated in such different ways around the world. I've always wanted to visit Japan but I hear that it can be difficult to navigate with the lack of English that is spoken. How have you found it to be?

    V
    Life+1

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    1. Thank you glad you found it interesting! It's true that most people aren't confident in speaking English but as long as you stay in the cities then you should have no (major) trouble navigating around as lots of signs are in English and you can always point and mime! x

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